


all I want is to be your harbor

by starkly



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 15:39:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6861067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkly/pseuds/starkly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhodey and Pepper both had a bad day, so Tony does his best to turn it around for them with a date night in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	all I want is to be your harbor

**Author's Note:**

> Written for thegoldenavenger @ tumblr, who requested "tony taking care of pep and rhodey?? like, he found out they both had a bad day so he does his best to turn that around for them! :o"
> 
> Originally posted [here](http://fuckyeahteamironman.tumblr.com/post/141127833860/ooh-for-the-follower-thing-maybe-tony-taking-care) March 16th. Title taken from Vienna Teng's "Harbor."

“Okay! Pizza, check. Beer, check. Video games, check.” Tony surveys his set-up, then adds the finishing touch, wrapping a blanket around Rhodey’s shoulders where he sits on the couch. Rhodey looks torn between embarrassment and pleasure at Tony’s fussing as he tucks the blanket in around him. “Operation ‘Suck It, Sadness’ is a go.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Rhodey mutters, but he sneaks a hand out from under the blanket to grab one of the Nintendo controllers.

“Don’t you know it, honeybear.” Tony flops down on the couch beside him, cracking open a beer. “Now stop complaining, I ruined a perfectly good pizza with pineapple for you.”

“Pineapple pizza is good,” Rhodey says defensively.

Tony snorts. “Yeah, maybe if you’re stoned.”

Rhodey snatches the beer from him in retaliation and takes a sip. Tony graciously decides to ignore that out of the goodness of his heart.

“I’m even letting you pick the movie,” he continues, picking up another beer without complaint. “And we know how bad your taste is there too.”

“You’re kind of terrible at this cheering me up thing,” Rhodey says dryly. “I should’ve gone to Pepper.”

“She’s still at work.” Tony sighs, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rhodey nudges him, scooting closer. “Hey. Don’t go getting sad now, you’re supposed to cheer me up, not the other way around.”

“I’m not sad,” Tony scoffs, draping and arm around Rhodey’s shoulders. “She’s our breadwinner. The head of the household. Someone’s gotta make the big bucks so we can remain in the lifestyle to which we’ve become accustomed and all that.”

“Uh-huh. So you won’t mind if I pick Lilo & Stitch to watch tonight?”

Tony scowls, pushing Rhodey away. “I did _not_ cry over Lilo  & Stitch! At most I manfully teared up!”

“Whatever you say, Tones.”

“We were drunk!”

Rhodey just grins and shoves the other controller in Tony’s hands. “Ready to eat my dust, old man?”

“What is this, the ‘90s?” Tony says, taking the controller and looking affronted at the same time. “And you’re older than me!”

“Stop talking and start playing,” Rhodey retorts, elbowing Tony again, and Tony elbows him back once before pressing ‘start.’

* * *

Pepper comes home after they’ve switched from video games to the movie, the pizzas and beer mostly demolished on the coffee table. Tony pops his head up over the back of the couch to greet her, then catches sight of her face; she looks tired, more worn out than usual. He extricates himself from the nest of blankets he and Rhodey have set up and goes over to her.

“Lilo & Stitch?” she says after accepting his hello kiss. “Didn’t you cry at that?”

“ _No_ , I didn’t,” Tony protests as Rhodey lets out a loud 'Ha!’ Biting back what would definitely be a clever and snappy response, Tony takes Pepper by the arm and leads her to the couch, settling her down on Rhodey’s other side.

Rhodey offers her some of the blanket, which she gratefully accepts. “Rough day?” he asks.

Tony hands her a beer, which she also gratefully accepts.

“Just the usual business,” she says with a sigh. “The solar panel tests need to be pushed back, Tony, and we caught the guy from accounting who was trying to embezzle from the – ”

“Shh, Pep. You’re in luck. I’ve got just the thing for you,” Tony tells her, patting his lap imperiously.

“Was that a terrible dick joke?” Rhodey says with a frown, but Pepper’s already lifting her feet into Tony’s lap, resting her legs over top of Rhodey’s. He dutifully arranges a blanket over them for her.

“Tony’s declared this the Fun Zone,” he explains. “No stress allowed.”

Pepper smiles fondly at the two of them and takes Rhodey’s hand since she can’t reach Tony. “How do you know if we’re having fun?” she teases, nudging Tony’s wrist with her toes.

“Oh, I’ll know.” He puts a hand on her ankle, stilling it, and begins to carefully undo the delicate straps of her high heels. Then he slips them off just as carefully and sets them aside before he takes one foot between his hands, kneading the arch of it with his thumbs. Pepper slumps back against the pillows, groaning, and Tony smirks. “See? I’ll know.”

“There’s pizza left,” Rhodey says, pointing at the boxes. “Pineapple.”

“Ooh.” Pepper reaches for the box while Tony looks on, feigning offense.

“Et tu, Pepper? The betrayal.”

Rhodey rolls his eyes, curling up more comfortably with Pepper’s legs over him while she takes a big bite out of a slice of pineapple pepperoni. “Tony, I’ve seen you put candy on your pizza before. You can’t talk.”

“That was innovative,” he says, digging his fingers harder into the sore muscle of Pepper’s foot, and she lets out another groan that would almost have been sexy if she hadn’t also dropped a piece of pineapple down the front of her shirt at the same time. “A mark of genius.”

“You were copying a couple of four-year-olds,” Rhodey reminds him.

“And where were their parents, letting children eat junk like that?”

“Dears,” Pepper interrupts pointedly, having fished out the pineapple chunk from her cleavage and popped it into her mouth. “This is supposed to be a stress-free fun zone.”

Tony actually looks contrite. “Martini?” he suggests as a peace offering.

Pepper hums thoughtfully. “After you’re done with my other foot.”

“How come I don’t get a foot rub?” Rhodey asks with an exaggerated frown. Or at least Tony thinks it’s exaggerated.

“You beat me at Mario Kart,” Tony says, like he’d conceded the victory to him on purpose. Rhodey’s still frowning, and Tony laughs. “You’re next.”

“After my martini,” Pepper clarifies, then giggles when Rhodey tickles the back of her knee under the blanket. Both of them look in far better spirits now than they had at the beginning, so Tony considers this plan a rousing success.

He just needs to make sure he gets through the rest of Lilo & Stitch without any manful tears, or he’ll never hear the end of it.


End file.
